Printing press



Oct. 15, 1940- J HQLLANDER 2,217,800

PRINTING PRESS Filed Nov. 30, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 In z/erziar wzmemesl T 0? AfjaZZarz'aer czat 0- J. A. HOLLANDER v 2,217,800

PRINTING PRESS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 30, 1956 In Van Z0 Get. 15, 1940.

.J. A. HOLLANDER PRINTING PRESS Filed Nov. 30, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 J 27; /6 7270/ f (M05 1% iZ/iz/zder Wit/z eases .74.

Patented Oct. 15, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE PRINTING PRESS Application November 30, 1936, Serial No. 113,390

8 Claims. (Cl. 101173) This invention relates to multiple color printing presses and mainly to flatbed printing presses of the rotary impression cylinder kind, in which separate sheets of paper are fed and printed successively, and more especially to flat printing plate presses of the Miehle type, amplified and adapted for printing more than two colors.

Heretofore, presses of the flat bed sort have been used extensively for one-color and two- 10 color Work, in the latter case there being two impression cylinders arranged side by side, one for each color, and both operating on separate parts of a common reciprocating bed.

My present objects are mainly to increase the color range capacity of a Miehle style of press; to accomplish this with a minimum increase in cost for the machine and without increasing the ground size or plan area of the press; to provide for this and the use of rotary printing plates by mounting an additional cylinder directly over one or each of the original cylinders; and to provide for throwing the additional cylinder or cylinders into and out of printing service quickly and conveniently without afiecting the other cylinders or their operation.

Further objects are:

To print three or four colors on a modified flat bed press originally intended for printing one or two colors.

To permit operation of the press substantially as originally constructed, whenever desired, in printing one or two colors.

To provide rotary printing cylinders cooperating with existing impression cylinders and fiat printing bed, so as to eiiect the simultaneous printing from both flat and curved plates.

To provide primary control mechanism whereby the rotary printing cylinders are causedto follow the impression cylinders in their movements to establish printing and nonprinting relations with the printing bed.

To provide secondary control mechanism for the printing cylinders, whereby the latter are caused to establish printing or nonprinting relation with the impression cylinders, operating independently oi, yet simultaneously with, the pri-, mary control mechanism.

To provide a disengaging mechanism or trip 50 device associated with the secondary control mechanism whereby the printing cylinders are caused to be maintained in a nonprinting relation with the impression cylinders.

- To provide an effective and eificient adjusting 55 mechanism for the composition inking rollers so as to control accurately the degree of contact with the ink drums.

To provide self aligning features for the composition inking rollers.

I will first explain generally the nature of my invention and how it relates to certain prior devices.

The form here shown comprises a self-contained third color printing unit built into or upon a two-color Miehle flat-bed printing press, as will be apparent.

This unit is so constructed that a heavy form may be printed on a full sized sheet with perfect registration without sacrificing speed of press or causing any disturbance to the original functions of the Miehle press. Also the press may be used for ordinary two-color work by merely sliding the cylinder gear out of mesh of the second impression cylinder gear.

The entire unit is bolted to the Miehle frame 20 above the second impression cylinder and my plate cylinder bearing is securely bolted to the Miehle second. impression cylinder bearing by long alloyed steel strain rods. This will permit the printing of a heavy form} 25 The plate cylinder is made to synchronize perfectly with the impression cylinder in all of its motions, yet no additional load is imposed on existing springs, Separate springs fitted in the main frame and functioning independently of the 30 press mechanism operates the plate cylinder off the impression stroke. The tripping mechanism operates a heavy eccentric shaft which causes the impression, the controls of which are located at the feeders position and are fully automatic, 35 when operating as a three-color press. When operating as a two-color press, these controls are safely locked out of use.

The inking mechanism is carried in substantial frames forming part of the plate cylinder r box. The form is quadruple rolledby two form rollers which assure adequate distribution. Each form roller is in contact with vibrator drums, which are in turn served by distributors in contact with a third vibrating drum of large capacity. An additional distributor makes contact between a large drum and stationary receiving" drum, the latter being served directly from the fountain by the duc-tor roller.

The roller sockets are of a new quick acting type, mounted inside'of the frame line to avoid the excessive springing. All rollers are designed with an independent adjustment for each contact. Therefore, one roller contact may be set without disturbing the adjustment of any other.

In the printing of three colors in one operation without the paper leaving the cylinder grippers, the register is positive and not affected by shrinkage or expansion of the paper. The plate cylinder is one-half the diameter of the impression cylinder and makes four revolutions to each impression, so there is perfect inking of the form.

The use of my third color unit requires no departure from the established operating routing. An experienced Miehle pressman needs only to familiarize himself with the roller and impression adjustments, a matter of but a few minutes. It is to be understood, however, that the said unit actually applies the second color on three c0101 work, and what is normally the second color on the Miehle press becomes the third color in the present sequence.

The cylinder is equipped for the so-called Claybourn plate lockup as standard, but it is feasible to furnish cylinders equipped for the so-called Blatchford lockup if such is preferred.

This improvement is desirable because of the economy in printing and absolute register. It enables work to be done at a substantially lower price than could ordinarily be done on a two-color Miehlepress.

The success of this unit has been assured by commercial reduction to practice in a large printing establishment.

This invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary front side View of a printing press of the so--called Miehle type having the present improvement and shows the structural features of the present invention in end elevation in full lines, with the plate-cylinder control trip and latch set for printing, the adjacent parts of the old -Miehle press being shown in dotted lines, with remote parts broken away.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is an irregular cross sectional View on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. i is an enlarged detail view of the tripping mechanism for the plate cylinder in its disengaged and nonprinting position, one extreme outward position of the cam roller lever being shown in dotted lines, and its opposite position being shown in full lines.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but with the plate cylinder raised to its nonprinting position.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the relation of the two impression cylinders and the associated cylinders, with arrows indicating the direction of movement of sheets of paper through the press, the present plate cylinder being shown in full lines at the left and a possible future plate cylinder being indicated by dotted lines at the right.

A brief general description ofa two-color Miehle press will aid in understanding the application of this invention to such' a press. Briefly a twocolor Miehle press consists of a suitable frame on which a bed having two flat-plate printing sectionsis made to travel in printing contact with a pair of impression cylinders, which latter have a.

transfer cylinder interposed between them. Facing the feeder side, as in Figs. 1 and 6 there isa feed board on the right hand end of the machine,

and a delivery and stacking mechanism on the left hand end. The impression cylinders each have grippers which engage and carry the sheet. The transfer cylinder'is equipped in like manner. The impression cylinders make two revolutions to one complete forward and return cycle of the bed. In operation, the first impression cylinder receives the sheet, carrying the same into contact with one of the bed printing sections. Approximately 1%. revolutions later the sheet is taken by the transfer cylinder and transferred to the second impression cylinder which carries the sheet into printing contact with the other of the printing sections. Approximately 1% of a revolution later the printed sheet is delivered and stacked.

A tripping mechanism, not here shown, brings each of said impression cylinders alternately into printing contact with their respective printing sections of the bed. This mechanism, well known to those skilled in the art, is so devised as to bring the first cylinder down when the bed is traveling towards the right end of the machine, and to raise the cylinder when the bed is traveling towards the left end of the machine. The second cylinder is similarly controlled with respect to the left hand printing section.

The present invention concerns the mounting of rotary printing cylinders, one or more, above said impression cylinders, combined with novel mechanisms for bringing the printing cylinders into printing contact in proper sequence with the operating sequence of the existing press. This is accomplished by removin the impression caps from the existing frame and using the surfaces thus exposed as foundations. for mounting independently operating, yet synchronized units, to

which this invention is mainly directed.

The following description applies to each of these new units, only one of which is actually shown in full. These two add-ed. printing devices substantially alike in their construction and operation. Either one or both may be used.

I will first describe the parts of the existing press which are intimately associated with this invention. Thus, for instance, member I9 is the press bed and member 2i] is one of the impression cylinders previously mentioned, journaled in bearings 21 in boxes 22 vertically slidable in press frames 23. Return springs 25 backed in sockets (not shown) of the press frame arereceived about cap rods 26 which latter secure the upper and lower halves of the boxes 22 together. The said cylinder 2i! is driven by gear 24, (see Fig. 3), which meshes with the drive gearing of the press. An impression control mechanism indicated generally at 38 is provided for'the purpose of bringing the cylinder 26 into printing and nonprinting relation with the press bed.

This mechanism consists of an eccentric 3i cooperating with a shoe 32 slid'able on the top surface of box 22. The concentric portion of the eccentric 3i is backed by the bearing block 33, which in turn is adjustable for various degrees of impression by impression screws 3%, which are threaded into supplementary side frames 35. The impression screws as are operated by means of adjusting worms 36, meshed with worm wheel portions 3'! integrally formed with the impression screws. The eccentrics 3! are operated by levers 38 attached thereto, and pull rods'33 articulated with the timed tripping mechanism of the press, which being well known is not here shown in detail.

The transfer cylinder 6% is carried on journals in bearings mounted on the side frames 23, as will be understood. i

The following detail description relates more specifically to the subject matter of this invention. Thus, a printing plate cylinder is fixed to shaft 5! having journals 52 carried in vertically slidabl'e box frames iifiiheld in spaced relationall) ship by transverse members 53A and... 53-3. (See Fig. 3.) These box frames together with the members 53A and 53B form acomplete housing in which the major portion of myinvention operates.

The said supplementary side frames 35 are secured to the press frame 23 by cap rods 54. The housing 53, 53'-A etc., is resiliently supported by springs 55 backed in sockets 5'] of the box frames 53.

Impression rods 58 are secured to the journal boxes 2'2, as for instance by being threaded to the cap rods 26. The upper ends of said impression rods 58 are received through yokes 59. The position of the yokes as related to the rods. is adjustable by nuts 65 threaded to upper portion of the rods.

In order that printing pressure may be applied between plate cylinder 50 and impression cylinder 28 a cross shaft 5| is provided with eccentrics 62 cooperating with impression shoes 63 received under the yokes 59.

It will be noted that the mechanism thus far described relates to ameans for causing the plate cylinder 50 to follow the impression cylinder 2!] in its movements, being integrally tied thereto by the impression rods 58. It willbe further noted that through the eccentrics 82 on cross shaft GI and its related shoes 83 and yokes der 5!] on impression cylinder 20 can be accurately controlled by means of the adjustment nuts 62.

The plate cylinder 50 is driven by means of gear I5 mounted freely on the shaft 5| and meshing with gear 24 of the impression cylinder 24. For the purpose of shifting to a limited extent the surface relation between the plate cylinder- 55 and impression cylinder 20, said gear I0 is provided with a slot into which a drive dog II, secured to adriver I2 keyed to the plate cylinder shaft 5i, is received. The drive dog II is provided with adjusting screws l3 in order that the lateral position of the dog may be altered in the slot.

It is possible to disconnect the driving means for the unit from the press entirely, as for instance, by providing the driver I2 with studs 15 to which sleeve nuts I5 are threaded. Oneof the sleeve nuts is provided with a collar 'I'I which performs the function of pulling gear Ill out of mesh entirely with gear 24 and thereby locked against a barring hub I3 secured on shaft 5|. By this means the unit can be entirely disengaged from the press.

In order to bring the plate cylinder 55 into the proper printing and non-printing sequence, during operation of the press, a means is provided to oscillate the eccentric shaft 5 I Thus a crankarm is fixed to one end thereof and connected by link M to the free end of a rocking lever 82 journaled at its other end on shaft 83. A latch 84 is pivoted at 85 to lever 82. Said latch 84 has a pawl end 85 receivable in a notch 81 in a cam roller lever 88 journaled on said shaft 53. A cam roller rotatably mounted on said lever 58 is received in a cam slot SI of a cam gear 92 freely rotatable on the cylinder shaft 5}. Said cam gear 92 meshes with a compound gear 93 which in turn meshes with astub gear 94 driven from a pinion 95 keyed'lto said cylinder shaft 5|.

A housing or bearing 56 to which the front ends of shafts GI and 5| are journaled forms a bearing support for gear 94. It will be noted that rotation of the cam gear 92 will impart a rocking is mounted on vertical support-brackets IBI.

motion to the lever 82 which in turn operates shaft, 6| thereby forcing cylinder 59, together with the housing in which it is journaled, alternately towards and from the impression cylinder 2i) accordingly as the various portions of the cam 92 and slot 9| are presented to the roller 95.

A mechanism known generally as the distribution is provided for inking the plates on the plate cylinder 55. Thus, as shown in Fig- 2, form rollers It'll! make contact with the plates or cylinder 55 and also with vibrating drums IilI which in turn contact distributing rolls I52 in contact with intermediate Vibrator drum I03. An ink fountain I55 having fountain roller I06 A ductorroll I58, carried on arms I99 secured to a rock shaft III) carries the ink from said roller I86 to a receiving drum III, which makes a distributing contact through the distributing roll II2 with the intermediate vibrating drum I03.

The vibrating drums HM and receiving drums I03 and III are driven from the plate cylinder 55, by an idler gear II5 which meshes with the gear 52-40. and also with gears I I6 keyed on the shafts of vibrating drums iilI. Said gear II5 also meshes with a gear IIl fixed to the shaft I03 of said drum I43. The gear H8 keyed to the shaft of receiving drum III, is driven by means of a gear H5 meshing with the gear HT. 59 the degree of contact pressure of plate cylinimparted to them a rotary motion. It is the usual procedure to provide one or two back and forth motions of the drums to each printing cycle, therefore the gear IE9 is keyed to a drive shaft I20 which forms the drive connection to a gear box indicated generally at I2I. A worm I22, keyed on the shaft I25, meshes with worm wheel I23 on shaft I24 journaled in the gear box. An eccentric I25 is mounted on the, exposed end of the shaft I24 and is received within the eccentric strap I25 connected to a rock shaft I21 by means of a connecting rod I28, mechanically connected to an arm I29 of a bell crank I30 secured to the rock shaft I21. mounted thereon a rocker arm I3I on the outer ends of which are rollers I32 received in spools I33 secured to the exposed ends of said vibrating drums IllI. The bell crank I351 is similarly equipped with rollers I32. Rock shaft I2? is carried in a bearing I34 secured to the housing,

The mechanism described imparts vibratory motion to the drums in such a manner as to cause drum I83 to travel backward while drums IOI travel forward and vice versa.

and co-acts with a pawl I42 urged towards the v ratchet by spring I42 mounted on the bell crank I40. A rocking motion is imparted to the bell crank I40 by means of connecting rod I43, one end of which is pivoted to the crank plate I44 secured to a shaft I45. This shaft has a worm wheel I46 secured thereto which meshes with a worm I41 fixed on the shaft I24.

The ductor roll IE8 is operated by means of a cam I50 secured to the exposed end of shaft I45 and co-acts with roller I5I' on arm I52 secured to the rock shaft, I I5. *The ductor roll is forced against the fountain roll I66 by the cam during its forward motion and is returned by return The rock shaft I2'I has also springs I 53 received about plungers I 54, the upper ends of which are pivoted to arms E56 fixed on the rocker shaft II 9. The lower end of the springs is backed against swivel stop I55 mounted in the vertical frame supports I01, which also serve as guides for said plungers I54.

A regular press operated device actuates the said means 82, etc., whereby the printing cylinder 50 may bemaintained in non-printing relation with reference to the impression cylinder it. Thus the latch 84 may have its pawl end 86 disengaged from the notch 81 by means of a segment IGQ forming a portion of the rocker lever I6I (see Fig. l). Latch 84 is provided with a roller I62 which rides upon said segment I68 when the latter is brought within range of the said roller, while the cam lever assembly 88 is moving outward, thereby disengaging the lever 82 entirely from the cam lever 83. Thus the cam lever 83 is released and will operate idly Without affecting any motion of the eccentric shaft SI.

In order to cut in or out the operation of the rocking lever 82 with its segment I60, the upper end of a connecting rod IE4 is pivoted thereto at I65. The lower end is subject to manual control, subject to appropriate timing safeguards as may be inferred though they are not a part of the present invention.

In order to prevent feeding of ink while the plate cylinder is in non-print relation and thereby prevent loading of the printing plates with too much ink, means are provided to prevent motion of the fountain roll. A connecting rod 208 is attached to the lever IBI at 2M, and at 232 to a rockable cam 293, which has a high portion 2% adapted to hold the pawl I42 out of possible engagement with the ratchet MI thus preventin the fountain from functioning.

Operation Considering first the simpler embodiment of my invention, adapted for three-color work, as illustrated by Fig. 2, the paper, stock in the form of rectangular sheets of paper I are fed in over a feed board or guide 2 to the primary impression roll or cylinder 23. This picks up the sheets one at a time and carries them around to the fiat printing plate 3 on the bed I9. Thence, each sheet is carried by cylinder 20 to the transfer cylinder 40 and thence by the secondary cylinder 20 to the plate cylinder 5t, and then down to the other flat plate l, from whence it is carried by cylinder 20 to the discharge or delivery means 5.

On Fig. 6 the number of color impressions supposed to be on a sheet at a given time and place is indicated by the number of little circles. (Cylinder 50' not being in use.)

Assuming now a four color press, the sheet goes first to cylinder 20' which carries it at once operatively under the printing cylinder 58. (See Figs. 2 and 6) Thence it goes by cylinder 20' to plate 3 and thence in order by cylinder 28 to transfer cylinder Gil, to cylinder 29, operatively under cylinder 58, by clyinder 26 to plate 4 and by cylinder 29 to delivery 5.

It is to be understood that some of the details set forth may be alteredor omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims' I claim:

1. A tricolor printing press comprising two parallel impression cylinders and a printing cylinder in triangular arrangement, a two section printing plate for said two cylinders, means to .feed successive sheets of paper to said cylinders in progressive order through the press, and means to ink the several plates and printing cylinder appropriately according to a chosen color scheme.

2. In a printing press, a fiat printing bed, means for imparting reciprocating motion to said bed, a primary impression cylinder, a secondary impression cylinder, a transfer cylinder interposed between said primary and said secondary impression cylinders, a printing cylinder for each of said impression cylinders, means-for imparting continuous rotary motion to all of said cylinders at the surface speed of said bed, and means for establishing printing and non-printing relations between said impression cylinders and said bed, and said impression cylinders and said printing cylinders.

3. In a printing press a bed having two fiat printing sections, means for imparting reciprocating motion to said bed, a primary impression cylinder devised to co-operate with one of the sections of said bed, a secondary impression cylinder devised to cooperate with the other of the sections of said bed, a transfer cylinder interposed between the said impression cylinders, printing cylinders one for each of said impression cylinders, means for imparting continuous rotary motion to all of said cylinders at the surface speed of said bed, means for establishing printing and non-printing relation between said impression cylinders and said bed, and between said u impression cylinders and said printing cylinders, and means whereby non-printing relation may be selectively maintained between said impression cylinders and one or both of said fiat printing sections and one or both of said printing cylinders.

4. A Miehle printing press of the two impression cylinder flat pressbed type in combination with a printing cylinder mounted adjustably on the lift frame support of one of the impression cylinders and means on said lift frame to throw the said printing cylinder into and out of printing relation to the corresponding impression cylinder.

5. A flat bed Miehle printing press and attachment therefor comprising a printing plate cylinder having a journal support which is liftably mounted on the journal support frame of one of the impression cylinders of said press, and means to lift and depress said journal support comprising spring and cam means respectively carried by said journal support frame, and control linkage means connected and operatively related to synchronize said cam means with corresponding rotary positions of the said plate and impression cylinders.

6. A flat bed Miehle printing press and attachment therefor comprising a printing plate cylinder having a journal support which is liftably mounted on the journal support frame of one of the impression cylinders of said press, and means to lift and depress said journal support comprising spring and cam means respectively carried by said journal support frame, and control linkage means to mutually integrate the operation of said cam, plate cylinder and impression cylinder together with manual control means to throw-out of gear and operation said cam and plate cylinder.

7. A printing press comprising in combination a frame, a reciprocating plate-bed thereon, an impression cylinder thereabove, a vertically movable support for said cylinder adapted to adjustbed, a rotary printing-plate cylinder above said 10 to raise and lower said cylinders as a unit relative to said plate-bed for flat-plate printing, means to raiseand lower said plate cylinder relative to said impression cylinder for curved plate printing, and timing means set to occlude said cylinders for printing thereby during their joint downward movement and for separating them during the flat plate printing periods and during up-movement of said cylinders.

JACOB A. HOLLANDER. 

